Running-gear for vehicles.



No. 677,068. Patented lune`25, lfl.- W. F. DODGE.

RUNNING GEAR FOB VEHICLES.

(Application led Feb. 25, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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RUNNING GEAR FUR VEHICLES.

(Application tiled Peb. 25, 1901A (No Nadel.) 2 Sheets-'Sheet 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT GEETQE.

IVILLIAM FRAISHER DODGE, OF RUSSELL, MICHIGAN.

RUNNING-GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming* part 0f Letters Patent N0. 677,068, dated June25, 1901.

Application iiled February 25, 1901. Serial No. 48,811. (No model.)

To all wtont it mfc/zj concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM FRAISHER DODGE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Russell, in the county of Isabella and State ofMichigan, have invented a newA and useful Running-Gear for Wagons, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the runnin g-gear of wagons andsimilarvehicles; and one of the principle objects of the invention is toprovide a construction of running-gear by means of which the front andrear wheels will be caused to track and at the same time render itpossible io turn the wagon on a relatively small curve without causingthe wheels to come in contact with the Wagon-body, thus obviating thewearing of the wheels against the body of the wagon and marring thefinish and detracting from the appearance thereof.

Another object of the invention is to so associate the reach with thehounds and a guide carried by the hounds as to prevent the running-gearfrom imparting a lateral thrust' or jerk to the pole, and consequentlyto the draftanimals, while driving upon rough and uneven road-beds.

Vith the above and other objects in View the invention consists in thenovel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafterfully described, illustrated, and claimed. v

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of therunning-gear of a wagon, omitting the wheels and body and showing theholsters in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same, omittingthe bolsters and showing the wheels. Fig. 3 is an enlarged verticallongitudinal section on the line y y of Fig. 2 through the forward endof the reach, showing the traveler and the rollerfulcrum to which thereach is slidingly tted. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section throughthe adjacent ends of the rear hounds and hound-plates, said view beingtaken on the line e' .e of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a vertical transf versesection on the line oc of Fig. 2, illustrating the construction andarrangement of the roller-fulcrum. Fig. 6 is a detail elevation, partlyin section, of the rear axle, cap, and bolster, showing the relation ofthe reach to the axle-cap.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all theigures ofthe drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the front axle of a wagon; 2,the rear axle thereof 3, the wagon-wheels, and 4 the tongue, the saidparts being of the usual construction 'and combined in the ordinarymanner.

In carrying out the present invention the front hounds 5 have theirforward ends set iush into mortises 6 in the front axle-cap 7, both ofthe axles being shown as consisting of the metal body portions 8, withthe terminal spindles 9, the axles being surmounted by the usual woodencaps 10. The rear adjacent ends of the hound-sections 5 are spacedapart, as shown in Fig. 2, and are enlarged or thickened, as shown at11, and the said thickened ends are rigidlyconnected by means ofhoundplates 12, arranged, respectively, above and beneath the enlargedend portions of the hound-sections and suitably riveted or boltedthereto. The hound-plates 12 are arranged one above the other and inparallel relation to each other, while between them is mounted aroller-fulcrum, which comprises upper and lower parallel members 13 inthe form ofplates provided with Avertically-extending trunnions 14,which are j ournaled in openings 15 in the upper and lower hound-plates12, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5v. The parallel members 13 ofthe roller-fulcrum are provided with vertically-aimed bearing-openings15 for the reception of the spindles 16 of a pair ofantifriction-rollers 17, which are thus journaled between the parallelmembers 13 of the roller-fulcrum and arranged at a distance apart equalto or slightly greater than the width of the reach 18,which is therebyadapted to be slidably received between the rollers 17 and also betweenthe parallel members 13 of the roller-fulcrum in the manner illustratedin Figs. 1, 3, and 5. It will thus be seen that the reach is capable ofswinging relatively to the front hounds and axle, and at the same timeprovision is made for a slight longitudinal or lengthwise slidingmovement ofthe reach within and through the rollerfulcrum, which takesplace whenever the front wheels are turned at an angle to the rearwheels. By the arrangement described it will also be obvious that whenthe front axle is turned to one side or the other a corre- IOO spendingmovement will be given to the rear axle,which will be caused to turn inthe opposite direction, the result being that the rear wheels will trackthe front wheels and obviate the necessity of turning the front axle tothe extent usually necessary.

In order to provide for the turning of both axles, the body-carryingbolsters 19 will be pivot-ally mounted upon the axlecaps, as illustratedin dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The front hound-sections 5 are connected by a curved guide 20,'whichextends transversely of the gear and has its ends rigidly..

connected to the hound-seetions by bolts or rivets, as illustrated inthe drawings. The front end of the reach 18 is provided with a traveler2l, comprising upper and lower parallel members 22, preferably formed bya single metal strap, which is bent centrally at 23 beyond the end ofthe reach and has its terminal portions extended backward in parallelrelation to each other and bolted or otherwise rigidly connected to thefront end of the reach, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. Theparallel members 22 are provided with bearing-openings 24 in verticalalii-lement with each other for the reception of the pintles 25 of apair of antifriction-rollers 26, which are thus interposed between theparallel members 22 and spaced at a distance apart, adapting them torece-ive between them the curved guide 20, above referred to. Theparallel members 22 extend, respectively, above and below the guide 20,thus preventing any disengagement between the traveler and the guide,while the rollers 21 are adapted to roll against the front and rearedges ot' the guide 20, as illustrated, for example, in Fig. 3. Theconstruction just described prevents the rearward escape of the reachand serves asian eective connection between the reach and the Vfronthounds. At the same time it provides for the lateraloscillations of thefront end of the reach when the front axle is turned to one side or theother. During-the'lateral movement of the forward end of the reach andthe corresponding movement of the traveler on the guide the reach willslide to a slight extent through the rollerfulcrum, and the rollers 17will relieve any friction at that point due to such sliding movement ofthe reach.

The rear hound-sections 27 are constructed in a manner somewhat similarto the front hound-sections, and their adjacent forward end-s areconnected by means of the parallel hound-plates 2S, between which thereach is adapted to be slid in adjusting the length of the running-gear.The adjacent ends of the rear hound-sections terminate in theoppositely-arranged iiat bearing-faces 29, which serve to guide andbrace the reach 18. `It is also preferred to provide the rear axle-capwith a mortise 30, through which the reach 18 may pass, so as to give agreater scope of longitudinal adjustment to the wagon for adapting it tovarious uses, the said mortise gaged by the forward ends ofthe houndsand also by the walls of the mortise in the rear axle-cap it will beseen that the reach and rear axle and hounds will be braced relativelyto each other, so as to prevent the rear axle from shifting with respectto the reach, thus causing the rear wheels to rollin lines parallel withthe reach at all times.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the front and rearwheels of the running-gear will always track and both of the axles willswing to a corresponding extent in turning curves, thus rendering itunnecessary to turn the front axle far enough to bring the wheels `intocontact with the wagon-body. In this way the wagon-body is protectedfrom injury without requiring any additional room or space in which ltoturn the wagon. The construction described'also obviates theobjectionable jerking of the tongue and the consequent lateral thrust ofthe tongue and yoke on the necks of the draftanimals.

The improvements hereinabove described may be applied to and used inconnection with various types of wagons and will ladd greatly to thedurability of the same.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is- 1. In runninggearfor wagons, the combination with the front and rear axles, and thehounds, of a reach having a sliding and pivotal connection with thefront hounds, the front hound-sections having their adjacent ends spacedapart and connected by houndplates, a roller-fulcrum pivotally mountedbetween the hound-plates and comprising spaced rollers and parallelmembers between which the rollers are journaled, said Vrollers andmembers being adapted to slidingly receive the reach, and a guide towhich the Ioo los

forward end of the reach is slidingly con# 3. In running-gear forwagons, thecombination with the front and rear axles, and the hounds, ofa reach having a sliding and pivotal connection with thel front hounds,the front hound-sections having their adjacent ends spaced apart andconnected by yhoundplates, a roller-fulcrum pivotally mounted betweenthe hound-plates and comprising @faces spaced rollers and parallelmembers between whiehthe rollers are journaled, said rollers and membersbeing adapted to slidingly reeeive Jthe reach and the members beingpivoted to the plates, and means for guiding the forward end of thereach, substantially as described.

Il. In a ru nning-gear for wagons, the combination with the front andrear axles, and the hounds, of a reach having a sliding and pivotalconnection with the front hounds, the front hound-sections having theiradjacent ends spaced apart and connected by houndplates, aroller-fulerum mounted between the hound-plates, and com prising upperand lower parallel members in the form of plates provided withvertieallyextending truunions journaled in openings in the upper andlower hound-plates, a roller on each side 'of the reach and providedwith pintles journaled in openings in the upper and lower parallelmembers of the roller-fulerum, a curved guide arranged adjacent to thefront end of the reach, and a traveler carried by the said end andengaging the guide, the traveler comprising upper and lower parallelmembers carrying rollers to coaet with the guide.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM FRAISHER DODGE. Witnesses:

' DANIEL GRoUsE,

ARTHUR J. LACY.

